Highlighting the uniqueness of Raleigh entrepreneurs.

Spotlighting innovation in the Triangle

Case Study

Creating a series

to spotlight five startups that represent the innovative drive of the triangle

Esse quam videri. To be, rather than to seem. Like the motto of North Carolina, it’s Innovate Raleigh’s mission to be, rather than to seem – they work to make the Triangle one of the top five centers for innovation and entrepreneurship in the country, raising awareness of the people who make Raleigh a center for community building and innovation.

The ask

Innovate Raleigh approached Centerline with a very broad goal: promote the current Innovate Raleigh initiatives, and raise awareness about the people and companies that make Raleigh a center for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Strategy & development

After a conversation with the Innovate Raleigh team, our strategists conducted primary and secondary research through digital search, in-person interviews, and content evaluation.The Centerline team pitched several ideas. Ultimately, we decided on a follow-around video series “Triangle Makers + Doers” that aimed to increase awareness and opportunities for engagement on digital channels, and extend reach by tapping into the innovators’ networks. The videos would show innovators at work and play, highlight small businesses, and give a feel for the culture of the city.

The innovators chosen would be those with the strongest stories and willingness to to expand their personal brand, with special consideration given to those with established personal networks that could help organically promote the series.

Bringing the chosen concept to life

Next up? Choosing the winners.

Interested companies applied to be a part of the “Triangle Makers + Doers” competition through Innovate Raleigh, submitting a video explaining why they should be included in the series. Innovate Raleigh’s board reviewed each application and voted on the winners.

After some stiff competition, five winners were chosen:

Before each shoot, the team had discovery calls with the innovators to understand their unique needs and personalities. What was the mission of their start-up? What specifically would they like viewers to know about their journey to success?
Although all of the Maker + Doer videos fell under the Innovate Raleigh umbrella, we wanted to make sure their distinct voices shined through.

Ultimately, we were able to carry out a fly-on-the-wall, non-invasive style for the videos, interviewing each innovator using the approved guides from pre-production.

“They’re different but similar, right?” said David Puckett, director at Centerline. “We wanted them to live together as a series. We created a consistent look through using the same camera settings and lenses, and having all of them have a desaturated look.”

Finally, one of our composers had discussions with each innovator to get a feel for their personalities, in order to create a specific, custom sound for each video.

“This project was different because I was actually able to be on set with everyone, and got the chance to get to know the innovators personally, which is something that I don’t typically get to do with projects.” said Dan Schneider, composer/sound designer.“The consistency in the sound across the video came from that opportunity, that emotional connection. By allowing us that access, they just left it in our hands to make something really cool.”

Series release

The videos were released on the Innovate Raleigh Vimeo page according to an editorial calendar put together by the Centerline team. Each video was delivered with social tiles to help promote its release, and copy written and delivered by Centerline social strategists.

In tandem with their release by Innovate Raleigh, Centerline released our own spotlight blog on each company – highlighting the team behind the videos, and the creative process of creating each individual video.

On top of being shared by the innovators themselves, WRAL TechWire picked up on the series, offering support for the project, the featured businesses and creating buzz – no pun intended – around the release of the Bee Downtown video.

A release party was held at Centerline, in conjunction with Innovate Raleigh, to officially preview the Makers + Doers videos, and Centerline’s Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer John Lane described the series perfectly:

“At our core, we’re storytellers at Centerline. We work very hard to find the stories that are both true to the brands we work with, and that are craved by their audiences,” said Lane.“As we’ve seen in the process of the Makers + Doers series, we’ve found a story that’s told to connect with one, and we’ve connected with many. It’s now a shared, authentic story of success.”